I suspect the Pope has been poaching my posts! Just
last week I explored the toxicity of legalism, and that post engendered more
visits and replies than any other (OK, the blog’s been up less than two months.
But even so…). Within a few days, an interview with the Pope came out that
created a firestorm of discussion, both within the Roman Catholic and Protestantism,
of protest and support and uncertainty. Francis’ premise: the church needs to
move away from emphasizing rules to focusing on faith.

Many critics seemed to miss the entire context: both
are necessary, but one is primary. The material from Francis below was taken
online from Christianity Today on Sep
20, 2013.

“The church sometimes has locked
itself up in small things, in small-minded rules. The most important thing is
the first proclamation: Jesus Christ has saved you. And the ministers of the
church must be ministers of mercy above all…The rigorist washes his hands so
that he leaves it to the commandment. The loose minister washes his hands by
simply saying, 'This is not a sin...' But the proclamation of the saving love
of God comes before moral and religious imperatives. Today sometimes it seems
that the opposite order is prevailing."

So easily we slip into one to the
exclusion of the other. Legalists validly talk about the importance of
commands, but seem to miss passion. Others stress faith so much that behavior
gets ignored. Both are biblical.

But one, just one, is primary. Faith.
Not just Francis, but Jesus said so. The most important command is to love God
with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:29-30). Paul began and
ended Romans with the importance of “the obedience that comes from faith” (1:5, 16:26, emphasis
added).

Once we come to believe in Jesus, our
behavior should be in the process of continual change. Notice the continual,
because we never behave perfectly. But the “saving love of God comes before
moral and religious imperatives.” Being good, doing good, can never save us.
But it must flow from genuine faith.

I’ve fallen into both traps. When I’ve
focused too much on being saved by faith, then I get sloppy with my obedience—it
doesn’t seem to matter. When I’ve focused too much on following the commands,
then I get rigid with my faith and it becomes a duty.

Let’s leave legalism behind. Not
obedience. Let’s focus on faith, as the cause of behaving. Maybe that
passionate following would intrigue those outside Christ and the church.

So, has the Pope been perusing my
posts? Or has the Spirit been moving across the face of the church? I suspect
the latter.

Kickstarting the Discussion

How have you balanced the tension of
belief and behavior? Of faith and obedience? What’s worked for you? What
hasn’t? How do you keep faith primary, and the cause of obedience?

A bit of an unreconstructed Jesus freak. Almost old enough to have known him when he walked this world. About 27 on the inside. Investing his life in university and teen students. Inveterate cross country motorcycle rider. Nature lover. Entranced with the power of written and spoken words. Still learning.